LAS VEGAS — As a new year begins, so too does a new round of promises from our state government ahead of this month’s legislative session. Those promises began earlier last week, when Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was sworn in for her second term in office.
During her speech after being sworn in, Lujan Grisham talked at length about all the positive things that have happened in the state since she was elected governor in 2018. She truthfully stated that the minimum wage has gone up a significant amount, unemployment is lower than it has been in a generation, and early childhood education and college education are easier than ever to access for state residents.
All of these things are great accomplishments, and should be applauded because they have improved the lives of people around the state. But the work is also far from over, and she made several promises to the people of New Mexico that may be harder to follow through on.
First of all, she promised to tackle the opioid crisis head-on, something that is easy to say in a speech and much harder to follow through on in practice. It’s an epidemic that has destroyed the lives of countless people in this state, and across the country. Many people have pledged to tackle this issue in the past, but they offer very few specific solutions. In her speech, Lujan Grisham stated she wanted to create a new government health care authority, designed to break through red tape and provide all New Mexicans with the ability to receive high-quality health care. She believes that expanding access to behavioral health care will go a long way toward slowing the opioid crisis. Is she right, and will this new government program be implemented as she says? We will have to wait and see.
Other government agencies have invested millions of dollars into drug awareness in schools, and into rehabilitation programs, attempting to cut off the epidemic before it starts and treating people when they become addicted. Though this has saved people’s lives, no doubt, it has done little to slow down the widespread problem. Can any government program slow this epidemic down? That’s still to be determined. But the effort is certainly appreciated.
Lujan Grisham also pledged to fight to lower the violent crime rate, slow the rate of homelessness statewide and reduce the poverty level, all areas in which New Mexico has struggled as long as anyone can remember.
Lujan Grisham has been attempting to fight off violent crime since her first term began, raising the pay of state police officers and recruiting more and more officers to patrol the streets. Last year, she unsuccessfully attempted to get measures passed through the legislature that would keep more people accused of violent crimes locked up until trial, a measure the legislature denied. In her speech, she talked about putting even more officers on the street. Her current investments haven’t done much to slow the rate of violent crime. Are more officers really the answer? We aren’t so sure.
We also can’t rely on government assistance to fight off staggering poverty and homelessness rates. Government programs play a part in getting people back on their feet, but they can’t be the only answers.
These promises made by our governor, and the ones sure to come during the legislative session, provide hope to people that things are going to improve, but until real actions are taken beyond pledges of state funding, it’s hard to believe these systemic issues are going to get better.
The governor has taken good steps to this point, but the challenges ahead are far tougher. We will soon find out if she is really up to that challenge.